Metal News for July 22, 2012

We post metal news every day, throughout the day, covering thousands of metal bands including underground and unsigned bands. You are currently browsing the news archive, but you can also find news by band.

14 news articles posted on this day.

Metal bands formed below the Equator rarely find an audience in North America. Other than Sepultura, Sarcófago and a few cult, underground black metal bands, most metal fans in the USA can’t count enough South American bands on their fingers to fully expose both palms. In same ways, being located so far south of Los Angeles and New York City has resulted in bands being cut off from MTV and other mainstream music outlets.

Colombia’s Witchtrap never felt the pressures of pop metal. They still proudly wave the flag of true heavy metal with a serious nod to Germany’s architects of power metal and thrash and the spirit that encompasses the term “metal.” Colombia doesn’t boast the economy of the US, so Witchtrap’s twenty-year existence has been one of strife, which really highlights the group’s dedication. Read onward to find out more about the group’s latest recording “Vengeance is My Name” and the group’s ongoing battle to crush South American audiences with a thousand pounds of sonic dynamite. More...

U.K. act Stuka Squadron has issued the following announcement about the band's bassist missing upcoming shows:

"Dearest and most beloved legionaries, squadroneers and other stukavolk; It is with the greatest regret that I, Graham Lord Pyre, bass Kommandant of Stuka Squadron and undoubtedly the world’s greatest un-living but still active bass player, am forced to convey some bad news. I felt that this would be best conveyed in person and thus have opted to address you directly by recourse to this wireless transmitting device.

"Unfortunately on this occasion I will not be joining the Stukawagen when it leaves our H.Q, (codenamed The Fox’s Lair) for The Squadron’s journey to Headbanger’s Open Air Festival in Germany on 25th July and Woodstock Open Air Festival in Borkovany in the Czech Republic on 28th.

"This is because I have been detained in England, where I am being forced to use my powers to ensure that The Olympic Games are not in any way thwarted by the forces of good.

"I apologise for my absence - but rest assured! My place will be ably supplied by Hauptman Beam Von Beamish, and I am certain that he and the rest of the boys will put on our usual magnificent show.

"I would like to stress that I intend to spend much of the time that they are away writing material for the forthcoming album. I will see you all again on The Winter War Tour this autumn and wish Von Beamish and the rest of The Squadron a successful tour!"

Throne of Malediction has released another new song online for streaming, which continues the band's recent series of collaborations with Tamara Picardo from Upon Shadows on keyboards and Kevin George from Martriden on bass. Check out the song "Without the Sun," along with several other recently uploaded tracks, in the Reverbnation widget available below. More...

Peaceville Records has posted a video clip online of Jonas and Per from Katatonia discussing the band's forthcoming tours: the "Epic Kings & Idols" tour with Devin Townsend and Paradise Lost, and the "Dead Ends of Europe" tour with Alcest and Junius supporting. All dates & tickets can be found at this location. Peaceville also commented on the band's upcoming "Dead End Kings" album:

"A continuation of 2009's inspired & acclaimed Night is the New Day, Dead End Kings sees Katatonia conjure yet another milestone in audial melancholy & angst. The Katatonia of 2012 is more potent, focused and creatively impactful than ever before. Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström - alongside guitarist Per Eriksson, bassist Niklas Sandin and drummer Daniel Liljekvist -- are at the peak of their powers right now, and their brand new studio album Dead End Kings provides incontrovertible evidence of their unstoppable artistic momentum. A rich, adventurous and endlessly evocative masterwork that exhibits all the Swedish quintet's established traits while absorbing countless fresh ideas into that monumental sonic brew, this is plainly the strongest and most beguiling album in the Katatonia catalogue to date. It also proves that sadness comes in many shades and that no one is safe from its cold allure."

"Dead End Kings represents progression and taking things to the next level," says Renkse. "The writing was a little more intense and spontaneous for this one. I think that's the biggest difference. But it was made with the same mindset as the last few albums. It just had a little more fire involved. We don't want to repeat ourselves. We are still hungry for new music." More...

Hell United has posted the song "Deathlike Cold" online, which is taken from the album "Aura Damage," to see release this coming September 11th, 2012 through Hellthrasher Productions. Check out the song below.

The Evolution Rock Metal Podcast has posted an hour long interview with Empires of Eden and preview of the new album "Channeling the Infinite," which can be heard in the player below. The album features a range of guest vocalists, including:

Ukranian power metal act Conquest has posted the song "Frozen Sky" online, which features the band's new vocalist Konstantin "Laars" Naumenko. Check out the song in the player available below. Conquest is now:

Hamburg, Germany based stoner doom act Rodha has posted the song "Bliss" online for streaming, which can be heard in the player below. "Bliss" is the first track from the band's latest EP "Raw." For more info on Rodha, head over to the band's Facebook profile. The "Raw" track listing is:

Italian metal act Savior From Anger, featuring Ex-Landguard/Ex-Nameless Crime guitaristMarco Ruggiero, have completed work on the band's sophomore effort, the title of which has not been revealed.

The album was recorded between February and May of 2012 at Albatros studio in Naples, Italy and will feature 10 songs with Ruggiero featured on all guitars, bass and vocals along with Michele Coppla (Entropy/Ex-Wisdom) on drums. More news on the album is expected shortly.

The album is the first since the 2009 debut "Lost in the Darkness" was issued through Rock it Up Records.

French symphonic metal act Kerion posted the first studio update video for the band's recordings of the forthcoming third LP "CloudRiders, Part 1: Road to Skycity." The album is scheduled for a September release through Metalodic Records. In addition, the band is also streaming a clip of the new track "Everlasting Flight," which can be heard below.

Texas traditional metal band Witches Mark is streaming the rough mix of the new track "Bringers of Heavy Metal Death" (heard below). The song will appear on the band's debut full length LP "Witching Metal Ritual" with a tentative release date in late Summer/Early Fall through Heaven and Hell Records.

"Witching Metal Ritual" was recorded and engineered by Stuart Laurence (Agony Column/Ignitor) at Isotope Studios and features the artwork of Canadian artist Yannick Bouchard of Illusory Dreams (seen below). The album features the addition of the band's new drummer Scott Palmer (Of The Fallen/Demontuary) and the debut on lead vocals for guitarist Robb Bockman.

Today marks the 150th official column in the Sunday Old School series (we’re not counting the April Fools article which looked at Limp Bizkit) and to celebrate, we’ll be taking a look at a band that we’ve been asked to feature for years. If you haven’t worked it out from the title, this week's Sunday Old School will be examining Slayer, one of the most controversial bands in the history of metal music, with a fan base more akin to the characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest than the average head banger.

Slayer was founded in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, who met when they went to audition for the same band. They soon completed the group when they recruited singing bassist Tom Araya, a native of the South American country Chile, and drummer Dave Lombardo, who met King while working as a pizza delivery man. The quartet initially performed at local parties, covering songs by the likes of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, as well as using a "Satanic" image, influenced by such bands as Mercyful Fate and Venom. In 1983, the band pooled money saved by Araya and borrowed from Kings father to record their debut album, "Show No Mercy," which was released through Metal Blade Records in December of that year. Although some had criticised the record for its production quality (or lack thereof,) it became the biggest selling album on Metal Blade at the time, shifting over 20,000 copies in the United States alone. They followed the album with a three song EP entitled, "Haunting The Chapel," which featured the live staple, "Chemical Warfare" and soon performed in Europe for the first time, including opening for UFO in Belgium and a show at Londons infamous 100 Club, where the band were upset about being spat on by the audience (though this was actually a sign of approval from British punks.) More...